Felting machine



May 29, 1923.

Filed Deo T. B. MUNROE FELTING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Shet l I V//////,W////AV//////.v///

AMy 29,1923.

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T. B. MUNROE FELTING MACHINE Filed Deo. 3, 1921 May-29, 1923.

T. s. MUNROE FELTING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 5, 1921 muruqni l May 29, 1923. 1,456,608

. T. B. MUNROE Frmmef MACHINE Filed Dec. 1921 4 sheets-.shed 4 @www Patented May 29, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TREADWAY B. MUNROE, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISANA, ASSIGNOR TO C. F. DAHL- lBERG., OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

FELTING- Application led December 3, 1921.

10 all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that TREADWAY B. Muis- Ron, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State of Louisiana, have invented certain new and useful lmprovements in Felting Machines; and I dov hereby declare the f ollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to machines for making wall board and other similar products, and has for its object to provide a machine of this character which will be simple in construction, comparatively inexpensive to manufacture, and more efficient in action than those which have been heretofore proposed.

lVith these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel details of construction and ycombinations of ,parts more fully hereinafter disclosed and particularly' pointed out in the Claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification' in which like numerals designate like parts in all the views:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view partly .in section of a portion of a board machine made in accordance with the present invention, showing the felting rolls and their associatedv mechanism;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure v1, of

another portion of the machine shown in the said figure, showing the pressure rolls and their associated parts for removing a portion of the water from the board before it is passed to the drier; i Figure 3 is an enlarged elevational view, partly in section, of a portion o f the felting rolls and their adjusting mechanism shown in Figure 1, illustrating the manner of vary ing the distance between the said rolls for controlling the thickness of the board being produced n Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken approximately on theline 4 4 of Figure 3, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4, but taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 3, looking in the direction of the arrows; and i MACHINE.

Serial No. 519,746.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary detail sectional View, taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 1,v

the circular rims 14 upon which are suitably secured a plurality of spaced longitudinally extending bars or slats 15 over which is laid one or more layers of wire cloth or other foraminous material 16. The said spiders L3 are rigidly mounted upon the shaft 17 -journalled in the bearings 18, carried bythe hori Zontal frame member 19 and adapted to be rotated by means of a pulley or other driving member 20, as will be clear from Figure 1. The other felting roll 21 is similar in construction although preferably somewhat smaller in diameter, and comprises the spider' members 22 rigidly mounted on the shaft 23 adapted to be driven. by a pulley or other driving meansr 24. The said spider members 22 are provided with the circumferential rims 25 upon which are secured the spaced longitudinal slats 26 over which is laid one or more layers of wire cloth or other foraminous material 27.

ln operating machines of this type, it is customary to fill the tank 1 with a mixture of vegetable fibers and water, which mixture flows over and under the various baffles 3, 4 and 5 through the opening 10 into the chamber 11, from whence the water passes through the interstices of the foraminous material upon the rolls 12 and 21 into the interior of the said rolls, while the fibers carried by said water are deposited upon said foraminous material.

lt is necessary in order to prevent the escape of the fibers around the ends of the rolls or drums to provide suitable seals between the said ends. and the side walls such as 23 ico oi the chamber 11 and in this instance the said seals for the roll 12 take the form of an angle iron 29 secured to the side walls 28 and curved to `lit the circumference oi the said roll, see Figures 1 and 6.

As is best shown in Figures and 6, the ends of the slats or bars are recessed, as at 30 to accommodate the metallic ring 31, which overhangs the ends of the said slats, as shown. The inner surface 32 ot the said ring is substantially Hush with the surface 33 oi the angle member 29, which latter carries a strip of felt, leather, or other yielding packing material 34, secured in place by the metallic backing strip 35. The said felt strip 34 overlaps the metallic strip 31 carried by the slats 15 of the roll 12, and `terms a sliding seal or joint between the moving and stationary parts, which effectively prevents the escape of the fibers around the ends of the drum to the interior thereoi". A seal 140 of felt, leather,

rubber, etc., may be employed transversely of the roll .12, as will be clear from Figure 1.

It isdesirable in operating machines oi this character to be able to vary the thickness of the board orother material which lis being produced, and to this end there is `provided means whereby the roll 21 may be adjusted to and from the roll l2. This means comprises a pair of L-shaped members 43, only one of which is shown in the drawings, pivotally mounted on studs 36 rigid with the side walls 28 of the chamber 11 and each provided with the arms 37 and 38, as will be clear from Figures 1 and 3.

At the junction ot the said arms 37 and. 38 there is provided a bearing 39 for the shaft 23 ,andv immediately beneath the said bearing there is provided a recess 40 into which fits the vertically extending rod 41 and one end of the helical or other spring 42. The said rod 41, as best shown in Figure 3, extends down into a hollow standard or support 44 which is pivotally mounted as at45 to the horizontal member 19 of the machine frame work. Said member 44 is closed at its upper end by means of a plug 46 threaded therein and provided with a bore 47 through which the said rod 41 may .freely pass. Said rod 41 is screw threaded as at 48 and carries a pair ot hand wheels 49 and 50 engaging the said screw threads. Suitable washers 5l are interposed between the various 'parts as shown to reduce the friction and wear thereof.

From what `has just been disclosed, it will be readily apparent that if the hand wheel 49 is turned in one direction, its hub will take against the plug 46 and the screw threaded rod 41 will be forced upwardly, carrying with it the L-shaped bearing bracket 43. which latter will pivot around the stud 36 and carry with it the drum or quently be moved closer to the drum 12.` l

The hand wheel 50 and spring 41 merely serve as a check or locking means for maintaining the wheel 49 and its associated parts in position after they are once adjusted.

lt is, or course, necessary to maintain seals between the ends of the drum and the side walls 30 of the chamber 11 similiar to those described above in connection with the drum 12, but owing to the arcuate movements of the Said roll `21, as just disclosed, its seals must also'move, instead ot being rigidly secured to the side walls 28. To this end, there is provided a movable seal comprising an oil-set bracket member rigidly secured to the side walls 28 and provided with a smooth surface 56 toward the inside of the chamber 11.

An angle iron member' 58fis adjustably secured to the arm 38 of the L-shaped bearing bracket 43 by means of the bolts 57 engaging the elongated slot 59 in an ear 60 of the said member 58. The leg 61 of the said member 58 is offset to conform to the fixed member and is provided with a smooth surface 62, adapted to slidably engage the companion surface 56 of the said member 55. The leg 63 of the member 58 is curved to substantially conform to the ring member l64, which encircles and overhangs the ends of the slats 26, in a manner similar to the ring 31 of the roll 12, as will be clear from Figure 5. The said leg 63 carries a strip of felt, leather, or other similar material 65, backed by a metallic strip 66, which strips overlap the said ring 64 and form a sliding seal therewith, as will be readily apparent.

Rigidly connected to the end 67 of the leg 63 is an angle iron member 68, provided with an ear 69, which is adapted to be adjustably secured to the arm 37 of the bracket 43 by means ot the bolts or other fastenings 70 passing through the elongated slot 71 with which the said arm 37 is provided. The said member 68 is curved to conform to the periphery of the Vroll 21` and the felt strip 65 which is secured to the convex side of the member 58, passes between the members 58 and 68 at the joint 67, and is secured lto the concave surface of the said member 68, as will be clear from Figure A suitable metallic backing strip 72 may be employed to hold the felt strip 65 in position on the member 68.

As was above disclosed` the board is formed by the deposition ot the fibers upon the toraminous surfaces 16 and 27 ot the drums 12 and 21 respectively and the layers of bers which are thus formed are rolls 91, 93 and 95, around the roll 97, and

intimately knittedy or felted together by other fibers which are caught between the converging surfaces of the rolls at the point 75. The usual percentages of Water and fibers employed are from, say, 1% of fiber and 99% of water to 5% of fiber and 95% of water, and, of course, most of the water will escape through the interstices of the foraminous surfaces 16 and 27 into the interiors of the drums 1.2 and 21 from whence it may be returned in any suitablemanner to the stock chest to be mixed with additional fibers and again used yas a vehicle. On the other hand, the board as it emerges from the point 75 between the rollsis relatively moist, and in fact, is barely coherent enough to retain itsy shape during the succeeding operation. After leaving the felting` rolls it 'is therefore desirable that some of the water which is present be removed before the board is introduced into the drying mechanism and to this end a set of pressure rolls is provided co-operating with the drum 12, as will now be disclosed.

That is to say, the framework of the machine is provided with a horizontal member 76 upon which is iournalled the horizontal rolls 77, 78 and 79, around which passes an endless belt 80 of woven felt or other suitable material. The roll 77 is slidably mounted upon fthe said frame member 76 in a horizontal direction and is adapted to be moved either to the left or to the right to adjust the tension upon the belt 80 by means of a hand wheel 81 rigid with a threaded rod 82 which rod engages the bearings 83 which carries said roller 77.

The pressure exerted by the belt 80 upon the wet board, and consequently thel quantity of water removed therefrom, may be readily controlled by adjusting the roll 79 toward or from the drum or roll 12. As will be clear from Figure 1, the bearing members 85 of the said roll 79 are pivoted as at 86, and are adapted to be controlled by the springs 87 and hand wheels 88, working` on the threaded rods 89.

After being subjected to the pressure of the belt 80, the sheet leaves the roll 12 at approximately the point V90, enoughwater having been removed therefrom to produce a board suflicieutly coherent to support itself. However, before being introduced into a drier, it is desirable to remove as much water as possible, so that a minimum of heat will be required in the drying room. i

To this end, the boardafter leaving 'the felting roll 12. is passed between a series of pressure rolls 91` 92, 93, 94. 95, 96, 97 and over the idler rolls 103, 104, 105, 106, and 107, while the belt 102 passes over the rolls 92, 94, and 96, around the roll 98, and over the idler rolls 108, 109, 110, 111 and 112, all as Awill be clear from the said gure. The rolls 105 and 110 are mounted in the movable bearings 113 and 114 respectively, adapted to be controlled by the hand wheels 115 and 116, and the screw shafts 117 and 118, to form take-ups for the respective belts 101 and 102.

The pressure of the rolls 91, 93, 95, and 97 may be controlled by means of the compression springs 120, 121, 122 and 123, controlled by the hand wheels 124, 125, 126 and 127, respectively working on the threaded rods 128, 129, 130 and 131.

After passing between the said pressure rolls, the sheet emerges onto a table 133, from which it is passed between a pair of knurled finishing rolls 1311 and 135, the pressure of which may be controlled by the springs 136. From the said finishing rolls, the sheet passes to the trimming saws 137, which cut off the ragged edges, whereupon the board is ready for drying which may be accomplished in any desired manner.

The operation of the machine will be clear from the foregoing, but may be briefly summarized as follows:

The tank 1 is filled with the mixture of` fibers and water from the supply pipe 6, up to approximately the level indicated by the dotted line in Figure 1*..which mixture flows therefrom through the opening 10 into the chamber 11. Owing to the elevation of the tanlr 1 substantially as shown, a slight head or pressure will be maintained within the chamber 11, as will be readily apparent. which pressure will be sufficient to force the liquid through the interstices of the foraininous material 16 and 27 covering the drums 12 and 21 respectively. These said drums are rotated relatively slowly by means of their driving members 20 and 21, and the fibers which were suspended in the water are deposited upon the surfaces thereof. As the layers of fibers which are thus deposited upon the surfaces approach the point 75 other fibers which are in the liquid at that point become entangled or interwoven intimately with the said layers and felt the whole into a compact mass which is remarkably free from any layer formations.

rlhe felted mass emerges from between the rolls 12 and 21 and, due to its own weight 'follows the drum 12 passing` under the pressure rolls 77 and 79 and the belt 80, which remove a portion of the water which is present in the sheet` as was above explained. The sheet passes from between the belt 80 and the foraminous surface 16 to the point 90 at which point it leaves the roll 12 and i is engaged by the traveling belts v101 and 102 of the press end of the machine. It passes between these said belts and their associated pressure rolls which further ex 'pel the water from the sheet and emerges between the rolls 97 and 9S onto the table 133 from whence it passes between the finishingvv rolls'lisl and 135 to the trimmingsaws 137, which, as above disclosed, remove the ragged edges. The sheet lis then ready for drying, which may be accomplished either artificially or naturally.

As above stated, it is desirable to vary the thickness of the sheets or boards which may be produced, and thismay be accomplished by adjusting the distance between the felting rolls 12 and 21,. This adjustment may be had by moving thehand wheel 49 in one direction or the other, so as to raise or lower the threaded rod L11, which in turn swings the bearing` bracket member 13 about its pivot carrying with it the roll 21.

As was above pointed out, when the hand wheel 49 is moved in one direction the roll 21 will be moved away from the ,roll 12, thereby producing a thicker board, while if the hand wheel 19 is turned in the opposite direction the roll 21 will be brought nearer to the ro-ll 12, thus producing a thinner board.

lVhen these adustinents of the roll are made, the bracket men'iber 113 carries with it the rigidly attached sealing members 5S and 68 and their associated parts, thereby at all times providing an effective seal between thev ends of the drum 21 and the side walls 28 of the chamber 11, to the end that fibers may not escape around the ends of the said drum to the interior thereof.

The foraminous surfaces 18 and 27 of the drums 12 and 21 inngart to the board a. socalled ,wire finish, but in constructing' these machines on a commercial scale it is impractical to eliminate from these surfaces certain seams and fastenings which produce imperfections in the surface of the finished board. y Furthermore, when the board emerges from the point 75 between the rolls and engages the pressure members 80, 101 and 102, it contains so much water that when the said pressure members act upon it they substantially eliminate whatever wire marks which are present upon the surface of the board.

`As above stated., however, such wire marked surfaces are desirable, and to this end the board after having been subjected to the action of the water expel ne" members is run between the knurled finishing` rolls 134 and 135. which impart to the boa-rd a perfect finish simulating the wire marks of the belting rolls.

It is obv'ous that those skilled in the art may vary the details of construction as well as the arrangement. of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention, andtherefore I do not wish to be limited to the above disclosure except as may-bev required by the claims.

Vhat is claimed is:

1.` 1n a machine of the class described the combination of a chamber; a pair of felting rolls within said chamber; means adapted to produce a hydrostatic pressure within said chamber against the surfaces of said rolls; means for varying the distance between said rolls whereby the thickness of the sheet being produced may be controlled and means including a seal adapted to move when said distance is varied, to prevent the escape of fibers past t-he ends of said rolls to the interior thereof, substantially as described.

`2. In' a machine of the class described the combination of a chamber; a pair offelting rolls within said chamber; a tank adapted to receive a mixture of fibers and a liquid, associated with said chamber and adapted to produce a hydro-static pressure therein against the surfaces of said rolls; means for adjust-ing one of said rolls to and from the other, whereby the thickness of the sheet being produced may be cont-rolled; and means comprising a seal associated with said movable ro-ll and adapted to move therewith, for preventing the escape of fibers past the ends of said roll to the interior thereof, substantially as described.

3., n a machine of the class described the combination of a chamber; a pair of feltini; rolls provided with foraminous surfaces, rotatably mounted within said chan'iber; a tank adapted to receive a mixture of fibers and water, associated with said chamber and adapted to maintain a hydrostatic pressure therein against the foraminous surfaces of said rolls; means for pivotally mounting' one of said rolls whereby it may be adjusted toward and from the other of said rolls; means comprising a seal vcarried by said last named means adapted vto move with said movable roll when it is adjusted about-its pivot and to prevent the escape of fibers between the end of said roll and the wall of ysaid chamber to the interior of said roll; and

a second seal, rigid` with theI walls of said chamber, adapted to prevent the `escape of fibers past the end of the stationary roll to the interior thereof, substantially as described. i

4.-. In a felting machine the combination of a chamber provided with side walls; a pair of felting rolls provided with forami nous surfaces, rotatably mounted within said chamber,- a tank adapted to receive a mix ture of fibers and water, associated with said chamber and adapted to maintain a hydrostatic pressure therein against the said foraminous surfaces; a pair of L-shaped bearing brackets carrying one of said rolls, pivotally secured to the Walls of said chamber; means vfor moving said brackets about their pivots to adjust said roll relative to said other roll; and sealing strips secured to said brackets and moving therewith, adapted to prevent the escape of fibers past the ends of said movable roll to the interior thereof, substantially as described.

5. In a felting machine the combination of a chamber provided With side Walls; a pair of felting rolls provided with foraininous surfaces and with sealing rings at their ends, rotatably mounted Within said chamf ber; a tank adapted to receive a mixture of fibers and Water associated With said chamber and adapted to maintain a hydrostaticpressure therein against the said foraminous surfaces; a pair of L-shaped bearing brackets carrying one of said rolls, pivotallyv se! cured to the walls of said chamber; means for moving said brackets about their pivots to adjust said roll relative to said other roll; sealing strips secured to said brackets and moving therewith, adapted to coact With the sealing rings carried by said mo-vable roll to prevent the escape of fibers past the ends of said movable roll to the interior thereof; and additional sealing means coacting with the sealing rings carried by the other roll to pre` vent theescape of fibers past its ends; substantially as described.

6. In a felting machine the combination of a chamberprovded with side Walls; a frame supporting said chamber; a pair of felting rolls provided With foraminous surfaces and with sealing rings at their ends, rotatably mounted Within said chamber; a tank adapted to receive a mixture of fibers and Water, associated With said chamber and adapted to maintain a hydrostatic pressure therein against the said foraminous surfaces; a pair of L-shaped bearing brackets carrying one of said rolls, pivotally secured to the walls of said chamber; means pivotally se cured to said frame and including screwthreaded members for moving said brackets about their pivots to adjust said roll relative to said other roll; sealing strips secured to said brackets and moving therewith, adapted to coact with the sealing rings carried by said movable roll to prevent the escape of fibers past the ends of said movable roll to the interior thereof; and additional sealing means coacting with the sealing rings carried by the other roll to prevent the escape of iibers scribed.

7. In a Wall board making machine the combination of a chamber adapted to receive a mixture of fibers and Water; a pair of felting rolls Within said chamber; means for maintaining a hydrostatic pressure Within said chamber against the surfaces of said rolls; means for preventing the escape of fibers pastthe ends of said rolls to the interiors thereof; means for moving one of said rolls toward and from the other to control the thickness of the board being produced; and means associated with one of said rolls for removing a portion of the Water contained in said board after it is felted, sub- .etantiaily as described.

8. In a Wall board making machine the combination of a chamber adapted to receive a mixture of fibers and Water; a pair of felting rolls Within said chamber; means for maintaining a hydrostatic pressure Within sain chamber against the surfaces of said rolls; means for preventing the escape of bers past the ends of said rolls to the interiors thereof; means for moving one of said rolls toward and from the other to control the thickness of the board being produced; pressure means associated with one of said rolls for removing a portion of the Water contained in said board after it is felted; and additional means adapted to eX- ert greater pressure to remove an additional portion of said Water, substantially as described.

9. In a Wall board making machine the combination of a chamber adapted to receive a mixture of fibers and Water; a pair of felting rolls within said chamber; means for maintaining a hydrostatic pressure Within said chamber against the surfaces of said rolls; means for preventing the escape of fibers past the ends of said rolls to the interiors thereof; means for moving one of said rolls toward and from the other to control the thickness of the board being produced; pressure means associated with one of said rolls for removing a portion of the Water contained in said board after it is felted; additional means adapted to exert greater pressure to remove an additional portion of said Water; and means for imparting a finished surface to said board, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature.

TREADWAY B. MUNROE.

past its ends, substantially as de- 

